XXX website, aka a well-known porn site, xHamster has found itself in trouble after the Amsterdam court mandated xHamster to remove all amateur sexually explicit recordings of people in the Netherlands unless its Cyprus-based owner, Hammy Media, can prove that everyone included has given their approval. Videos that appear to be unguarded or covert recordings fall under this category. These videos must not be viewable inside the Netherlands if they were produced outside the country and there is no proof of consent. The decision was issued in response to complaints from Expertise Bureau Online Child Abuse (EOKM) organisation. Deepfake Porn Videos of Emma Watson and Scarlett Johansson in Sexually Suggestive Facebook Ads Shared Online, Internet Left Fuming.
The EOKM team provided ten examples of movies in which XXX xHamster failed to get agreement, according to Ars Technica. The upload dates for these videos range from 2017 to 2020. According to Hammy Media, content can only be uploaded by verified members and professional producers as of 2021 (after tighter requirements by Mastercard and Visa). Before a video is made public, a moderation team screens it for illegal content once it has been uploaded. All actors appearing in the video must submit documentation of their identities and permission, and the uploader's identification is verified. Despite this, the Judge RA Dudok van Heel stated that it is "sufficiently plausible" that xHamster is unable to show that the people who appear in a significant amount of the site's film have given their consent. For one of the ten films that EOKM highlighted, Hammy Media presented consent documents, but the judge didn't find that to be persuasive.
Now that the decision has been made, XXX website xHamster has three weeks to remove the movies or face fines of €10,000 (about $11,000) for each video, which rises by €500 (US$550) per day that the video is still available to the public, up to €30,000 (US$33,000). In a news statement, EOKM referred to this choice as a triumph. Arda Gerkens, the director of EOKM, said they'd think about taking additional action against other porn websites. According to Otto Volgant of the Dutch law firm Boekx Advocaten, this landmark decision will significantly affect the adult sector. He provided the example of Pornhub's removal of millions of films that were not validated.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2023 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).